Ishrat case: CBI court rejects Pandey's plea

A special CBI court rejected the anticipatory bail application of Gujarat's additional DG PP Pandey, paving the way for his arrest in the 2004 fake encounter case of Ishrat Jahan and three others.

Special CBI judge Gita Gopi rejected the anticipatory bail application of Pandey, who had gone underground for three months after dodging the CBI summons for questioning in the controvesial encounter, in which four persons were killed in a joint operation by Ahmedabad police and India IB's officials posted in Gujarat.

Earlier, the CBI court had declared him proclaimed absconder after Pandey went underground.

The special court was hearing his application afresh on the directions of the Gujarat high court which had restrained the CBI from arresting the senior IPS officer till August 6.

The 1979-batch IPS officer of Gujarat cadre was Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), Ahmedabad, when Mumbai-based Ishrat and three others - Javed Shaikh, alias Pranesh Pillai, Amjad Ali Rana and Zeeshan Johar were gunned down by Crime Branch sleuths on 15 June, 2004 on the city outskirts.

Last month, the The CBI had named seven Gujarat police officers including Pandey in the charge sheet filed in the case. The charge sheet had termed the encounter as staged, and also held that it was a joint operation between the Gujarat Police and the Intelligence Bureau.